Pipe bend



Dec. 11, 1934. 5; w BROWNLEY I 1,984,172

PTPFP BEND Filed April 30, 1932 INVENTOR 620/98 h/Z/OM fl ELI/ BY (m gun.

ATTOR N E Y5 Patented Dec. 11, 1934 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE PIPE BEND George W. Brownley, New York, N. Y.

Application April 30, 1932, Serial No. 608,412

2 Claims. (01. 13775) This invention relates to welded pipe bends. tapering constriction to the normal cross sec- It is an object of the invention to provide an tional area of the pipe. improved pipe bend which offers a low resistance Referring to Fig. 1, which shows merely by to the flow of fluid, and which is economical to way of example a 90 degree pipe bend, two sec- 5 manufacture and install. It is a further object tions of pipe 11 and 12 which are to be joined 5 of the invention to provide an improved method have their ends cut at an angle of 45 degrees. of making welded pipe bends. Other objects and Each of the angularly cut ends is flared or belied advantages of the invention will appear hereinslightly on the shorter side of the pipe, as shown after. at 14 and 15, respectively, so that when the pipes The nature and objects of the invention will are joined by the peripheral weld 13 the pipe 10 be better understood from the description of cerbend has a rounded inner corner 14l5 and an tain illustrative embodiments thereof, and for the angular outer corner 16. Applicant has found purpose of such description reference should be that the shape of the outer corner 16 preferably had to the accompanying drawing forming a part should be angular substantially as shown, and

hereof, and in which: that a pipe bend having a rounded inner corner 15 Fig. l is a sectional view through a welded pipe and an angular outer corner offers a lower rebend in the plane of the bend; sistance to flow than does either a bend with Figs. 2 and 3 are sectional views substantially angular inner and outer corners, or a bend with on lines 2-2 and 3-3, respectively, of Fig. 1; and rounded inner and outer corners and a constant 20 Figs. 4, 5, 6 and '7 are views showing, more or cross section equal to that of the pipe. Figures 20 less diagrammatically, how the end of apipe may 2 and 3 show, respectively, the normal section be prepared for welding to a similarly prepared of the pipe and a section through the weld. pipe end to form a bend. It will be seen that the welded pipe bend illus- In pipe lines where lengths of pipe are welded trated in Fig. 1 may be made with a single petogether it is customary in making bends to cut ripheral weld and that the space required for 25 the ends of each of two lengths of pipe at an angle the bend is substantially the same as that resuch that when the ends are welded together with quired for the single weld angular bend heretofore a peripheral weld the desired change in direction used. The small additional space required by is accomplished. Such bends are relatively easy the rounded inner corner of the bend is not objecand inexpensive to make, but because of the tionable in most instances. 30 angular corners at the bend offer a relatively high Desirably the pipe ends which are to be joined resistance to the flow of fluid through the pipe. to make the bend are cut and flared before the This objection has long been recognized, and has pipe is shipped to the point of installation. Conbeen partially overcome by substituting for the veniently, the flaring of the angularly cut pipe single weld angular bend a bend known as a fabends is done while the pipe is hot, and this oper- 35 ricated bend, and in which there is a plurality of ation may be accomplished in the manner illuswelded angular bends whose total angular change trated diagrammatically in Figs. 4-6. A block of direction is equal to the requirement of the 17 having a round end 20 substantially fitting the installation. Such an arrangement for reducing inside of the pipe 16 has on one side a flaring porthe resistance to flow at a pipe bend is costly tion 18. While the pipe 16 is still hot this block 40 because of the additional cutting and welding 17 may be forced down into the pipe end with the required, and also is objectionable because of the flaring portion 18 of the block on the shorter large space required to accommodate the bend. side of the pipe 16 so as to flare the pipe wall Applicant has found that the resistance of a outwardly as at 19. The completed flared pipe single weld angular bend to the flow of fluid may end is shown in Fig. 7, and it will be obvious from 45 be greatly reduced by slightly flaring the anguthe foregoing description that two lengths of pipe larly cut ends of the pipe before they are welded as illustrated in Fig. '7 may be joined by a single together, thereby slightly increasing the area of peripheral weld to provide a 90 degree pipe bend the pipe line and reducing the velocity of flow at as shown in Fig. 1.

"the point where the most energy is consumed in Applicant has provided an improved welded 50 friction, that is, at the point of change in direcpipe bend which is small, which is inexpensive to tion. This flaring of the pipe ends at the weld manufacture and install, and which offers a low provides a smoothly expanded outlet from the resistance to the flow of fluid through the bend. normal cross sectional area of the pipe to a max- The foregoing description of certain descrip- 65 imum area at the weld, and then a smoothly tive embodiments of the invention is illustrative merely and is not intended as defining the limits of the invention.

I claim:

1. An angular connector fitting for connecting lengths of pipe comprising, in combination, two round tubular elements abutting in a plane disposed at an angle to the transverse axis through each tubular element, each of said tubular elements being flared out laterally on one side only adjacent the abutting ends, the tubular elements being positioned relative to each other to provide the connector with a rounded inner corner and an angular outer corner, and a weld jointing the abutting edges of the tubular ele- GEORGE W. BROWNLEY.

elements.

weld joining 10 

